Target Protection
by perfectsmuttyvampire
Summary: Bella is a prostitute. snatched from streets by cops. what will happen. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE, SORRY I SUCK AT THIS! For Oriana De La Rose
1. Chapter 1

**_TITLE: Target Protection_**

**_SUMMARY: Bella and Alice are street prostitutes, forced to work by a violent and sadistic pimp, who has no qualms about who he gives his girls to. Alice tries to run - and is caught and killed in a sadistic beating that Bella is forced to witness. Snatched from the streets by cops acting on an anonymous tip, she withdraws entirely into herself. She refuses to speak to anybody about the years she spent on the streets. Placed into witness protection, DI's Emmett McCarty and Carlisle Cullen move in with her for her own safety. Can they persuade her to open up to them - before it's far, far too late? Because Robert doesn't take kindly to his girls being taken, and he's got enough contacts to be getting closer every day._**

**_WARNINGS: This isn't going to be pretty, OK? There will be a generous helping of violence, non-con, graphic scenes etc, etc._**

**_PAIRING: Ends up as Bella/Carlisle_**

**_A/N: There are many people to credit for this story._**

**_JinxedAngel: Gave me the title_**

**_the-hottest-cullen-girl: Gave me the pimps name (trust me, it's awesome) - seriously, I actually love you right now._**

**_Star-struck-imagination AND the-hottest-cullen-girl AND Hot-sexy-vampire0330 (hot-sexy-vampire0330 is a sort of lol) AND Oriana De La Rose: Gave me the Carlisle/Bella pairing._**

**_So thanks for the help guys! I love you all!_**

BPOV

It's freezing cold, but it doesn't bother Robert. He still insists we wear minimal clothing. Of course, that immediately makes us easier to be picked out - no normal girl wears a skirt about six inches long, knee-boots, fishnet stockings and a skimpy top in fucking January. But prostitutes do.

Me and Alice are shivering on a street corner together when he swans up. Well, I'm glad he's nice and cosy. I can't even feel my feet. He puts his hand on my hips.

"Girls…any business tonight?"

"Not yet, Sir."

"You know the consequences if you don't bring back money, Isabella. You know what happens. And you Alice?"

"One guy." She hands him the cash.

"Good girl. Good night, ladies." He disappears into the darkness. Alice watches him go, sullenly.

"Don't bother Alice. You know the rules."

"Fucking hell!" she explodes. "I swear, Bella, one day, I'm going to run." I don't say anything. We both know it's impossible. A car pulls up next to us. The passenger window is rolled down. "You take it," she mutters. "I've paid, I'll be Ok. You go." I nod at her, grateful, and saunter towards the car, schooling my expression into a relaxed, sexy one. I feel his eyes look me over, even though it's too dark in the car for me to see his face.

"Get in, then." His voice says, sounding spooky coming from the darkness.

We drive until we get to the common. He doesn't say a word, just parks the car.

"How much?"

"Depends what you want," I whisper, running one hand up his leg, stopping just before I touch him. I hear his intake of breath, but when he speaks again, his voice is steady.

"I want you in the back seat, and I want to fuck you like the filthy street whore you are," he says, roughly.

"You want to mark me?"

"No."

"Then it's £200."

"You'd best be the fucking best."

"Try me," I whisper, shifting, and speaking directly into his ear. He grabs my arms in a vice-like grip.

"Get in the back." I oblige, making sure he's got a good view of my under-wear less pussy. I hear him grapple with his zipper. It's a good thing there's room back here. He bends me over, so my hands are clutching the back of the seats. He flips my skirt up, and shoves himself roughly inside me. I moan, knowing they like it when I make noises, when they think I'm enjoying it. Sure enough he groans, reaching down between us to rub my clit roughly. He pulls out before he's come, and forces me to my knees. He thrusts his cock into my mouth, and I get to work. Robert loves me to give him head, says I'm the best in the business at giving head. And judging my the man's groaning, I'm not doing a bad job. I use all the tricks, using my hands to stroke his sac, while swirling my tongue around his head, tasting his pre-cum, using my lips to work the shaft, dragging teeth ever so slightly up and down, and moaning around him. He comes into my mouth, and I swallow, even though what I want to do is throw up.

When he drops me back off at the corner, he throws money into my lap. I pick it up and get out, in silence. He drives away, without looking back. Alice has gone, presumably off with a customer. But he is there.

"Isabella," he croons, looking at me. I swear it's colder. He yanks me back into the shadows, where we can't be seen from the road. He slams my back up against a tree. I hand him the money, silent, sullen, knowing I have to in order to survive. He runs one hand up my leg, stopping just before my skirt hem. At least the hand in question is warm.

"What do you want, Robert? I'm losing business," I say, staring at him. I've never working it out, but I'm the only one of his girls who's allowed to have any fire at all around him. He likes it, in a bizarre, twisted way, he likes it when I flout his rules, his regulations.

"Don't play dumb with me, you bitch," he hisses at me, gripping my leg so hard it hurts. I gasp in pain and shock. He's never gotten physical with me, not like this. He slaps me around the face, the sound echoing in the empty streets. "Where is she?"

"Who?" I ask, even though I know what he means, and my heart has dropped about a mile. He forces me to the ground, lying on top of me, using his weight to push me into the dirt.

"Where's Alice, Isabella? Where's she gone?" He snarls at me, pulling himself out, ramming into me. I scream, a scream that is cut off by his hand. He knows I'm as dry as a bone, that it'll be agony for him to do this. "You know where she is, you filthy, worthless, no good, disgusting little street whore!"

"I don't, I swear I don't," I sob, scrabbling at his face, pushing him away, crying with the pain, because he's not slowing down, he's getting rougher and harsher.

He left me there, crying, while he got up and tucked himself away.

"Bella? Are you back yet?" I hear Alice call. The feeling of relief that washes over me is enough to start a fresh round of sobs.

"She's over here," he calls, emotionless, and walks off into the darkness. I hear Alice run over to me, and she drops down beside me. I'm curled into a little ball.

"Bella? Oh, God, Bella, what happened?"

"He happened. Fuck, Alice, he thought you'd run, I thought you'd run away! He thought I knew where you'd gone!"

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry." I feel her gather me up, and I cry into her shoulder, unable to stop myself. She doesn't let me go, and helps me get back to the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Please Don't

BPOV

Everything is sore the next morning. There's a bruise on my leg - you can see every finger in it. I look at the clock. Ten past two. I sit up, look around for Alice. She isn't there. I get up, go into the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth. It's mechanical, I don't think about the activity. I go downstairs, and a silent group of girls part. One of them hands me a note.

"She ran," Jane murmurs. "The stupid bloody cow!" My hands shake. My legs give way. They cluster round me, offering words of comfort. But only one of them tells me what will happen now.

"He went after her. Robert went after her." I look up at her, my eyes blurred. I don't even know her name.

"Go upstairs. Put your headphones on. And don't listen. Believe me, you don't want to listen. All of you, go."

"Aren't you coming?"

"He'll expect me to be here. Please, just go." They do. Jane pauses at the foot of the stairs.

"I'm sorry Bella."

The door crashes open. Alice is kicking for all she's worth, swearing at the full pitch of healthy lungs. I notice Robert has a bloody lip, and a strange surge of triumph goes through me. She looks up, and she sees me. I'm crying helplessly. Robert follows her gaze. He smiles.

The smile is the smile of a killer.

He advances, and slaps me swiftly around the face. My head snaps back with the force of it. Alice screams at him.

"For fucks sake, you've got me, leave her out of this!" I hear the vicious crack, and then Alice. "Screw you! And if you touch me again, I rip your bloody balls off, do you hear me!"

"Gag her," Robert demands, not taking his eyes off my face. Alice's screams don't stop, they just get muffled. She's still swearing. "This is what happens when my girls run, Isabella."

It's like watching a car wreck. In slow motion. Every kick, every slap, every punch, every snapping bone, every single one makes me wince, to scream at them to stop. Alice is unrecognizable when they stop. There's blood everywhere. Everywhere. I can tell she's got a broken nose, a deep gash on her forehead, split lip. And I think someone fractured an eye socket. I wrench myself away from Robert. I kneel down in front of her. She smiles, I think, under the gag. I take it off her. Her breathing is laboured. Punctured lung, I think, mechanically.

"Get away," she mumbles, blood bubbling in her mouth. I can hear a gurgling sound deep in her chest. Every time she breathes, the gurgling gets louder. "Get out, Bella, before he hurts you too."

"I can't do anything…Alice, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I should have kept you safe!"

"No, you couldn't. I was too stubborn. Get away, Bella. I love you like a sister, and you have to get away!"

"Love you Alice," I mumble through tears. "Love you so much."

"Love you too," she laughs. More blood bubbles up, and she makes a horrible gargling sound. She coughs, chokes and then that's it. Nothing.

No more Alice. I throw myself at Robert, kicking and screaming for all I'm worth.

"You bastard! You fucking killed her, you scum, you filthy, slimy -" The punch slams me into the wall behind me, and I don't think anything more that day.

EmmettPOV

"Good weekend?" I ask as Carlisle Cullen gets into the car. I drive off, headed for the police station.

"No, it sucked dick," he grumbles.

"Jeez, what happened?"

"The car broke down."

"I know that, this is why I'm picking you up. Is that the only reason you're in such a fouler?"

"No. I am in a bad mood because some twats woke me up at three."

"Loser."

"I didn't get any sleep last night." We drive in silence, a little smirk playing round my lips. We go over a slight hill, and her breaks our silence.

"Emmett, stop the car, NOW!" I pull over onto the hard shoulder and slam the brakes on.

"Carlisle, what the fuck -!" He leaps out of the car and goes into the undergrowth at he side of the road. I get out and go after him. What I see stops me in my tracks, and freezes the joke that had been on my lips. I pull my mobile out and dial.

"Masen? It's McCarty. You need to get here now. We're on the hard shoulder, north bound M-way, about a mile from the junction that'll take us to work." Carlisle looks up at me from his crouch, straightens and snatches the phone.

"Masen? It's Cullen. We've found a girl. She's dead. Call Rose, get her down here, we'll need a pathologist, and get the cops here." He hangs up. I'm aware suddenly that breakfast hasn't settled. I stumble down the hard shoulder and throw up on the tarmac.


	3. Chapter 3

Don't Panic

CPOV

Emmett, still pale, is staring at his mug of coffee like he wants to drown in it. I can't blame he. He's new to the police, came straight into CID, and he saw his first body this morning. He looks like a child, not the man he usually does. I stick my head into the canteen, and yell at him.

"Emmett, it's the post-mortem result. We need to go to the lab." He gets up, abandoning his coffee. "Drink that." He obliges, swallowing it in one gulp, picking up jacket and tie.

He's uncharacteristically quiet as we drive. I sense he doesn't want to talk.

"She took one hell of a beating," Rose says as an introduction. "She was kicked, punched and possibly hit with a blunt weapon of some kind. Her facial injuries alone could have killed her. Somebody broke her nose, her cheekbone, her jaw and fractured her left eye socket - you can see the damage here." She indicates with a finger the obvious trauma around her eyes. "in addition to these injuries she has multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung and her chest cavity and both lungs were full of blood. She'd got a broken wrist, but not from being beaten - it's a classic defence wound. Also, there is broken skin on her knuckles, and she has a broken toe, from giving somebody a good kicking herself, I expect. She put up one hell of a fight."

"What are we looking at here? Punishment beating? Ritual? Something that got wildly out of hand?" Emmett asks, the consummate professional.

"Was she raped?" I break in.

"There is evidence of sexual intercourse recently before her death yes. But there's no damage, and I would say said intercourse was indeed consensual sex. As for what we're looking at - I would go with punishment beating."

"Druggie?"

"No. But I do have an ID - I ran her DNA through the national database and came up with a name." She hands us a piece of paper. It's a Missing poster. "Alice Brandon, went missing two years ago, aged sixteen. She's eighteen years old. The case is something you lot dismissed, but kept open - after all, another missing teen, never really that important."

"Yes, we know how you feel about missing teens and the police's reaction."

"She wasn't doing drugs, she wasn't living on the streets, and she doesn't drink. But I do have something else." She prints off another sheet, hands it to us. "The last recorded sighting of Alice was a year ago - and the man who saw her reckoned she was working as a prostitute."

"Reckoned?"

"Alright, knew, seeing as he picked her up and she charged him for sex."

"Alright, thanks, Rose. You call me if you find anything else, alright?"

"Will do. See you Emmett," She calls after us.

"Tonight!" He shouts back.

The door is answered by a young girl in school uniform.

"Is your Mum or Dad here?" I ask. She surveys us.

"Mum!" A frail looking lady appears.

"Can I help you?"

"Mrs Brandon?"

"Yes."

"I'm Detective Inspector Cullen, and this is Detective Inspector McCarty. May we come in?"

"Yes," she whispers, her face draining of all colour. We go into a pretty living room.

"It's her isn't it?" The younger girl asks, her face white under her dark hair. "You've found Alice."

"I'm very sorry, but we did indeed find your daughter this morning. I'm sorry - but Alice was pronounced dead on scene." Mrs Brandon crumples and her daughter pushes past Emmett to hug her.

"Cynthia - you need to call your father." She looks up at us. "Can I see her?"

"Of course."

TWO WEEKS LATER

BPOV

The wind is much harsher tonight. But I'm immune to it. I'm always cold now. A dark car is kerb crawling. I step out of the shadows it stops. A tall, slim figure steps out of the back. I go up to him.

"Looking for something to warm yourself tonight, sir?" he suddenly grabs me and throws me into the back of the car. I scream. Loudly.

"It's alright, it's Ok, we're the police!" A badge gets shoved under my nose. I focus. DI Masen.

"No, it sure as hell is not OK! You take me back, right now!"

"What's your name?"

"None of your goddamn business! Listen to me, all of you, you need to take me back, right now!"

"I'm arresting you for prostitution. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you will later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?"

**_The rest is coming!!! please have patience!_**


	4. Chapter 4

We Know

BPOV

"You can sit there in silence for as long as you like." I stare determinedly at the desk.

"We found Alice," the bigger one says, bluntly. My head snaps up.

Alice.

I remember coming round in my own bed, the other girls clustered around me. I hadn't said a word for two weeks.

"Alice," I repeat.

"Do you want her to get justice?"

"Yes."

"Then you need to tell us everything you know."

I weigh up my options. If I don't, they'll find out who I am, they'll charge me with prostitution, and no way am I doing time. And at the same time, there's Robert. If he finds me after this, if I grass, he'll kill me.

"You'll protect me? You'll keep me safe, yeah?"

"Yes. If you co-operate, we'll keep you safe."

"My name is Isabella Swan. I'm twenty. Alice was my best friend."

"You were both prostitutes?"

"We didn't choose that career. It wasn't like I was playing with my dolls as a kid and though, hey, lets be a prostitute. I didn't know Alice's story. We did what we did because it kept a roof over our heads."

"But you must have had a pimp."

"Ever heard of Robert Viramontes?"

"Bloody hell."

"It's why you have to protect me. I can give you enough to bring him down, but if he finds me, I'll die. He'll do to me what he did to Alice. I can't go through that, OK?"

"Do you have parents we can tell?"

"No, and even if I did, I wouldn't let you call them. They died when I was eighteen, and I ended up on the streets. They weren't exactly the worlds greatest."

CPOV

I stare at the girl across the table. She asked for something less revealing when she got here, and somebody sorted her out with a paper suit. But if she was involved with Robert Viramontes, then I don't need to be told the risks. Which is why, exactly an hour later, me and Emmett are in front of Chief Inspector Esme Davies.

"Obviously, she will need 24-hour protection. I want you two to move in with her. We have a safe house. The rules are simple. One of you must be with her at all times. She may not, under any circumstances, leave the house. She may not make any phone calls or write any letters without being heavily censored and supervised. We've already sorted out clothes for her. Everything is set up for your arrival. She's being disguised now. You may not speak to anybody about her. If your friends want to know where you are, you tell them nothing. If you even so much as think somebody knows where she is, she will be moved immediately. You must impress upon her the need for secrecy. If she gets up in court and gives evidence against Viramontes, we can send him down for the rest of his life. And to do that gentlemen, she needs to be alive. Viramontes has contacts everywhere - and as a consequence, only the three of us will know where she is. Now you have to go. Here's a key, and here is the address. Burn that piece of paper as soon as you get there. Only you two have keys. Do you both understand?"

"Ma'am."

She's so quiet on the way, I think for a moment she's fallen asleep. But when we pass under streetlamps, I see her eyes glow. It's nearly midnight when we draw up outside the house.

"Your room is the second on the left as you go up the stairs," Emmett goes into the kitchen as he talks. She turns and trails silently up the stairs.

"Emmett, for Gods sake, she is running from the most dangerous criminal in the world. You could show a little more sensitivity."

"She's a whore, for gods sake. I'm not going to tip-toe around her just because you have the hots for her."

"Emmett, I do not have the hots for her."

"Whatever." He stomps upstairs.

She goes downstairs in the early morning. I follow her. She's wearing running shorts and a tank top. Her hair is messy. She's watching the sun rise over the back garden.

"Good morning."

"What's so good about it?" she asks sullenly. "I'm on the run from the biggest criminal figure ever, living in a safe house with two detectives, one of whom hates me because I'm a whore, and my best friend was beaten to death in front of me. So pray, tell me, detective, what's so great about it?"

"Point taken. And you don't have to call me detective - we're living together for the foreseeable future - if you'd like, you could call me Carlisle."

"Why not? And can you not call me Isabella? It's just Bella."

"Ok, just Bella." I'm rewarded with her lips looking marginally less sad. But then Emmett crashes into the kitchen, and her face snaps back into misery. "Ignore him, he's part primate," I whisper conspiratorially in her ear. This time her lips definitely twitch.

"Coffee," Emmett grunts. He's talking to me, but Bella motions with one hand to stop me. She makes him a cup of coffee.

"Sugar?" she asks him, her voice positively saccharine.

"Two." She reaches up to the cupboard - but it isn't sugar she brings down. I know she's after revenge for him saying she's "just a whore" the night before. I smile at my own cup as she hands him the cup.

His coughs and splutters undo me. I nearly collapse.

"Salt!" He gasps, hoarsely.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Bella says, her eyes wide and innocent. "Stupid whore, huh?" She goes upstairs. When Emmett is done rinsing his mouth out, he takes a deep breath to scream up the stairs at her. I clap one hand over his mouth.

"You asked for that," I say, severely. "You deserved that, for your behaviour last night. And I forbid you to be unpleasant to her again, or I won't stop her putting shit in your food." He storms into the living room and puts NCIS on. I take my mug of coffee, and a fresh cup for him, and we settle down.

Bella only reappeared at dinner, and surveyed Emmett's attempts at lasagne. Neither of us can cook. To her credit, she does manage to force it down.

"I can cook," she says, just as Emmett is starting to clear the table. We stare at her. " I did all the cooking at home, before my parents died. If you could get me some recipe books and so on, I don't mind doing the cooking."

"How do we know you won't try and put something horrid in it?" Emmett asks suspiciously. She just smirks at him.

"Because we're evens now. Tell you what," she adds, as he huffs in annoyance and starts washing up rather vigorously. "I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine. How does that sound?"

"Sounds brilliant."

"Great. I'm going to go watch The Simpson's."

Now, I think she'll be good to have around.

**_Next chapter is on the way!! Sorry the previous cliffhanger! Please review!  
BTW, Bella is using winding Emmett up to forget as much as she can. she doesn't want to think about anything, so she will be making jokes and so on - but she's going to still be very fragile emotionally._**


	5. Chapter 5

It's Not As Bad As It Looks.

BPOV

_The streets are dark, and mostly silent. A client has dropped me off back at the corner. I can hear his footsteps. But it isn't like a regular night. He's calling for me, his voice echoing from the darkness, my name, menacing, threatening, terrifying. I see the moon glint off the blade her carries as he brings it to my throat…_

I scream, again and again. My door bursts open and I scream louder, thinking it's him, thinking he's come for me, thinking that this is it - I'm going to die. Two hands grab my shoulders and shake roughly. I don't stop screaming. If anything, I get louder. The owner of the hands lets out a curse. I freeze.

"Carlisle?"

"Jesus, Bella!" I relax slightly. Then I seize his upper arms in a vice like grip.

"Carlisle, I - I -"

"Emmett, go and make sure all the windows and doors are closed and locked, quickly." I hear him pad off on his bare feet and go downstairs. "Bella, it's alright, everything is going to be fine. It was just a dream. You're safe, Bella, he doesn't know where you are."

"It was so real," I mumble. "I thought he had found me, I thought he was here." I vaguely feel him stroking my hair.

"It's going to be OK." And even though I know he can't promise me that, even though I know it is a definite possibility that Robert will find me, I let it comfort me. I'm slipping back into sleep when Emmett comes back upstairs. "I'll stay with her tonight," I hear Carlisle murmur, just before I slip under. And I'm oddly grateful that he's there.

Emmett looks at me like I'm a complete nutcase when he comes down for breakfast. I'm cooking. I don't think I got that much sleep last night, and after half an hour of tossing and turning, I'd gotten up at seven thirty. When I heard the water tank kick in, I'd started breakfast.

"How many rashers?"

"Eh?" I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"How many rashers of bacon, Emmett. I'm cooking breakfast. Is Carlisle up?"

"Oh, right…um, three, if three are going. And yeah, he was just about to get in the shower when I came down."

"Coffee?" "Did you put salt in it?"

"I haven't even put the milk in, I just poured it out. And how do you like your eggs?"

"Both sides please."

"Mushrooms? Sausages?"

"Yes, please." Carlisle stumbles in. "And how do you like your breakfast?"

"Two of everything and not too well done."

I eat my own breakfast, watching them demolish theirs.

"I'll give you this Bella, you aren't a bad cook." Emmett says with his mouth full. He gets up when he's done, and stretches. "I'm going to find a corner shop, get the paper, and so on."

"Get milk too, please. You two drink so much coffee." I insert.

"Sure, sure. Anything else anybody wants?"

"You may as well go find a supermarket Emmett," Carlisle smiles. "We need a lot. Food for the week, for example."

"I'll go and get pen and paper.

CPOV

She plonks down at the kitchen table. She passes the pad and pen to me.

"Write down dinner ideas."

Emmett struggles through the front door with bags of shopping. Bella has been banished to the living room and the door has been closed, the curtains drawn. We can't risk somebody who know Viramontes walking past and reporting back. We aren't stupid. Viramontes has contacts everywhere, and every criminal in London will have seen Bella's picture and been told to look out for her. We knock when it's safe for her to come out. She ambles into the kitchen and helps us pack the shopping away. "I couldn't get beef mince," Emmett says. "So I got lamb instead. That OK?" "It'll be fine," Bella assures him.

"And I picked you up some recipe books."

"Thanks."

Well, at least they aren't insulting each other, or reaching awkward compromises. But when she leaves, he puts down the pack of yoghurts he was about to put away.

"Esme will be here later. They want to interview."

"Today?"

"They need as much information as they can, and Bella is their best hope."

I go up and knock on her door.

"Come in!" Her voice calls.

"Bella? Bella, can you come downstairs please?"

"What's up?" she asks when she hit's the living room.

"Bella, the police are going to be here soon. They need to interview you, is that going to OK?" "Today?" she asks, going pale.

"I know it's soon Bella, but they need to get as much as they can to get Viramontes." She nods.

"No, I understand. It'll be fine." There's a knock. Emmett goes to answer it. "Will you stay with me, Carlisle?" I don't ask her why.

"Course I will."

"Bella? Bella, this is Chief Inspector Esme Davies and Detective Inspector Edward Masen."

"Hi," she says, emotionless.

"Hello, Bella. I know this is going to be hard for you, but you need to tell us as much as you can about Robert Viramontes and where he lived."

**_A/N: Tomorrow, i'll get another few chapters up, i promise!!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Let Me Tell You Why_**

CPOV

"Hello, Bella. I know this is going to be hard for you, but you need to tell us as much as you can about Robert Viramontes and where he lived."

"He didn't live in the same place. He - we - was always moving around. Mostly when the cops turned up, or started getting troublesome."

"What, like snatching his prostitutes from the street?" Edward breaks in. She glowers at him.

"Yes, like snatching his prostitutes from the streets. I can tell you his last address, the one before that, the one before that and so on."

"How long were you with Viramontes?"

"I was with him two years. We changed address six times in those two years. I can tell you every one - more or less. I do a very good job of suppressing unpleasant memories, and the houses run into each other after a while."

"Six? What was he running from?"

"Robert ran from a lot of things. He ran from the police, he ran from the other pimps, he ran from drug dealers, and he ran from loan sharks. The man might be the most powerful in the criminal underworld, but he was terrified of everyone and everything. He pissed off a lot of powerful people to get to the top. It's not like he owed anyone anything - he was just afraid of something. Maybe his past, huh?"

"Bella, we need your help. And we aren't denying that without you, this entire operation crashes down. But we need something concrete. Addresses, names, anything you can give us, we need it," Esme explains, looking at Bella with a curious intensity.

"You got paper?" She is handed a notepad and pen.

Esme and Edward stay for nearly three hours. Bella was able to give them a list of addresses where Viramontes had stayed when she was with him, but she wasn't able to give us many names.

"He didn't tell us names. All I knew was that one of the guys who sometimes came round to see him was called Dom - Dom Wester. That's all I can give you. I'm sorry."

I went up to bed last that night, and stopped outside her door. I could hear her crying.

"Bella, what is it? What's wrong?"

"They won't find Dom Wester, Carlisle. Not alive, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Robert is not an idiot. He knows I knew Dom's full name, and I'm pretty sure that he's worked out by now that the cops have me. And he'll have worked out that in exchange for protection, I would have said something. So he'll kill the one man who's name I can give you. So, seeing as I have arrived at the conclusion that I am a murderer, can you go away, and let me cry on my own?" I shut the door quietly.

What could I possibly have said to that?

BPOV

_Footsteps echo in the dark. The customer on the common finishes off, and hands me some money. He slips away into the darkness, and the footsteps get closer. I'm slammed against the tree behind me, all the breath knocked from my lungs. The shadow pushes my skirt out of the way, and slips one finger inside me. The poison voice fills my ears, my head, my brain. And when he takes me, I can't stop the tears that fall. and when the shadow pulls away, walks away, I hear his parting word, falling like black ice crystals into nothingness, echoing forever, carved in flame in the air… _

"_Murderer…" _

I jolt upright, gasping for breath. It was so real. So terrifyingly real. Murderer. I still hear it, echoing in my head.

Carlisle finds me at nine the next morning, staring at a bowl of cereal like I'll find forgiveness inside it.

"Bella? You OK?"

"Bad dream," I say, attempting a smile.

"What was itt his time?"

"He fucked me and then he called me a murderer."

CPOV

I don't need her to tell me who she's talking about.

"I've as good as killed him."

"No you haven't, Bella. Never think that," I say, standing behind her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Robert Viramontes will be the one, if he does kill him. We're catching up with him Bella, ok? We'll find him, and we'll do our damn best to find him alive. It isn't your fault." She looks up at me, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. I crouch beside her, bringing our faces level. "You aren't a killer Bella." I say, firmly.

She kisses me. And although my brain screams at me to stop, that this isn't right, my body acts. My hands go into her hair, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. She tangles her fingers in my hair, and I feel the urgency in the kiss. She pulls me upright and gets to her feet herself. I push her back aginst the table, letting my hands go to her waist and pull her even closer. She moans into the kiss, and her tongue touches mine, and we battle for dominance.

"What the…" We leap apart like we've both been scalded. Emmett is staring at us. She disappears and we hear her run upstairs.

"Carlisle, what the hell -"

"Don't say a word. Not one word," I order. I go into the living room, collapse onto the sofa, and bury my head in my hands.

What have I done?

**_A/N: I know I said yesterday. I'm sorry. Stuff happens. Tomorrow there will be an update. I promise you faithfully. Please review!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Damages_**

CPOV

"Carlisle, did you put something in my drink last night? Or did I actually see you kissing Bella?"

"I thought - in fact, I know - I told you not to say anything."

"Oh no, you don't get out of it that easily."

"Yes I do."

"No, you really don't. What were you thinking, for Gods sake? If Esme finds out… you will be kissing this operation goodbye if not your career."

"Ah, yes, but there we have the important bit of that sentence - if Esme finds out. Which she won't."

"You seem to be going on the assumption that I won't say anything."

"You won't. Don't forget, I kept quiet when I walked in on you and that girl from SO19 - when you were on a stake-out."

"That is blackmail."

"Correct. You are learning." He glowers, but drops it.

But he's there every time me and Bella find ourselves alone. He finds a reason to be in the same room. I handle this for three days - after all, he has my career at heart. And then I crack.

"Emmett!" I bellow when he walks into the kitchen and purposefully stays, reading the paper at the kitchen table while I'm helping Bella make dinner. She nearly drops the bowl of lettuce she's holding. "Go away!"

"I'm allowed to sit here and read the paper, aren't I?"

"That is what the living room is for - which you were happy with whilst Bella was alone in here," I snarl through gritted teeth.

"Precisely - while she was alone."

"Carlisle," a soft voice starts to interrupt.

"Emmett, if you have something to say, then say it, here and now."

"Boys…"

"You know perfectly well why I object to you being here. And you know what I have to say to you about her."

"You can leave her out of this -"

"That's ENOUGH!" a voice suddenly bellows. We both jump and face Bella, who slams the bowl of lettuce on the table, about an inch from Emmett's fingers. She glares at us both. "First thing: I'm still in the damn room. Second thing: Emmett, if I _want_ to kiss Carlisle, I will, and I really fail to see how it is any of your business. And final thing: Carlisle, we need to talk - so after dinner, we shall convene, alone, in here. Now, either you both help me with the dinner, or you can both go the hell away. In fact, just go away. You want to fight about it? Fine. Go do it in the living room." She turns back to the stove, where she stirs the mince in a way which suggests she'd like it to be our heads.

After dinner, she does the washing up. Emmett is banished to the living room, after multiple threats, and I sit at the table. She sits down next to me.

"Emmett has a problem," she states. I go to open my mouth, but she holds up her hand. "Not that I care in the slightest what the primate thinks, but we do have to live with him. The thing is, Carlisle, I enjoyed kissing you. Very much. And I also know that having a relationship with me would ruin your career, and it would also be difficult personally. I, sadly, am the sort of girl whose Past is spelt with a capital P and I am - was - a street whore. Not ideal material for a relationship."

"Emmett has a problem with us kissing, not with who you are. You're right - my career could be ruined by a relationship with you. However, I'm not even going to attempt to deny that I enjoyed that kiss. I'm not going to deny that I do have romantic feeling for you. And I can't deny your past. But in a way, it doesn't matter, not to me. You could be anyone - and I'd still like you. I'd still want to be with you."

"We should take this slowly. Just bit by bit. See how it works. And we don't have to tell your boss do we?"

"No, I guess not. And what about Emmett?"

"I'll talk to Emmett."

"And what about you? Are you ready for a relationship?"

"That is why I want to take things slowly. You don't just run from a past like mine and put it all behind you. But I know what I want. And what I want is you. If you'll have me."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Get me through this without cracking up. Help me heal. Please."

She surrenders totally to me when I kiss her, and I just hold her for a while. Just enjoying the feel of her in my arms. She lays her head on my chest and snuggles into me.

I push the whispering voice of doubt into the back of my head.

**_A/N: You like? Please review...and make me vair happy? Anyway, this is chapter seven (obvs). Sorry this story is taking so long to get up. It's taking longer than usual just to write the chapters. My exams are over in a couple of weeks though, so I will get this story finished ASAP after them. Will still be posting during the exams but not every day. Please bear with me!!!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Quick update: So, in the last chapter, Bella and Carlisle decided to "take things slowly". BUT we know that he has a little voice in his head telling him it might not be the best plan in the world. Now, it's all going to kick off in this chapter…so, at the end, please review and tell me what you think!!! Written from Emmett's view because the next several chapters are going to be all Bella, and it's important we see the events of this chapter from Emmett._**

EmmettPOV

I can tell they're together. Or trying it out. But I'm not allowed to say anything, and secretly, I admire them for getting past the obvious barrier of her past and his career.

"I'm going down to the corner shop," I say, sticking my head round the living room door, where they're on the couch together, her head on his shoulder and his hand playing with her hair slightly. "Oh, how sweet," I croon, and snort with laughter as Carlisle glowers at me. "Does anybody want anything?"

"We need bread," Bella says, sitting up at little. "And milk. Oh, and can you bring back chocolate? Galaxy, please. Just regular Galaxy, please."

"Sure thing, Bells. And you, Carlisle?" "No, I will merely steal Bella's chocolate." I roll my eyes as she hits him playfully, and he tickles her ribs until she screams for mercy.

It's as I'm paying that I notice the tall dark man lurking at the back of the store. I don't react, I simply wink at the cashier as she gives me my change and smirk as she giggles. I lean over the counter and whisper playfully in her ear.

"Don't react. Pretend we're flirting."

"Oh, but Sir, how can you suggest such a thing!" she giggles playfully.

"Call the police the minute I and the dark man have left this store. Tell them I'm headed straight for Waverly Road, and that my name is McCarty. Got it?"

"I will most certainly call you Sir, for how can I resist such a charming young man?" she says, batting her eyelids at me. I wink and nod, and depart. And sure enough, he follows. I take the route that takes me straight to the safe house. And he follows. I know for certain know that he is following me, that he knows who I am and where - and who - I'm headed for. Normally, if someone is behind you, they either go past you, or turn off, or drop behind. But he speeds up as I do, and slows as I do. I've got a massive problem. And so has he, I note, with a wry smile as I notice the dark car following us both. It's Edward's. Nobody else drives a black Jag XKR-S. And I know it isn't Edward behind the wheel.

I take him right to the door of the safe house. I go in. And the black car pulls in in front of my stalker and the driver gets out. Jasper Whitlock levels his Glock at the mans chest and I see him put his hands up in resignation. Edward gets out the car and comes up the steps. Carlisle les him in, whilst I burst into the living room to make sure Bella is safe.

"Bella, are you alright?" I demand. She looks up in surprise.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" And then her face drains of colour.

"He's found me."

"You need to pack, Bella, now," Carlisle says from the door. "You still have the disguise?"

"Of course."

"Edward, you help her, quickly!" And then he rounds on me. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know. But he was behind me when I left the house. I thought he was just going to the shop, like me. I only noticed him when I was paying. He could have got a message to Viramontes already. He could be coming, Carlisle, he could be coming for her, right now." He goes so pale I think for a second he's going to faint.

"Tell Edward to get her down here right now. We're leaving in the next two minutes. Go upstairs, stuff whatever you can into a rucksack, get Edward to pack my shit, and I'll get whatever food we can. You have a minute, Bella too. Disguise is most important, we can replace clothes!"

In two exact minutes, we're in Edwards car, Jasper behind the wheel, driving much too fast, me, Bella and Edward in the back, because we were the ones seen. Carlisle is up front, rigid and tense. Bella is practically hyperventilating next to me. Edward talks to her.

"Bella, you need to take some deep breaths." She just giggles hysterically.

"Oh yes, deep breaths!" she says, her voice much higher than usual. "Because deep breaths are really going to keep me calm! The man coming after us right now is the man who wants to kill me!" she nearly shrieks. "So excuse me if I'm freaking out!" She looks behind us suddenly. And she pales even further.

"Put your head between your knees," Edward orders, unaware of the change. But she seems frozen where she sits.

"Keep driving," she intones suddenly, her voice flat. "Don't stop, do you understand?"

"But this is our exit -" Jasper starts.

"Keep driving!" She orders. "Listen to me, and don't look back, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"The car behind us belongs to the man who you just arrested."

"Why didn't you tell Esme this when she interviewed you?"

"Because I forgot about it! I had many more things in my head than a car I've seen twice!"

"Then how do you know it's his?"

"Because it's the same car that hit me - Robert went ballistic, because I couldn't work for a week. Whoever is in that car works for Robert."

"Right," says Jasper. He stays in the lane for the exit, and then swings the wheel, cutting across three lanes of traffic, leaving the exit lane at the last possible second. We watch the red car with the tinted windows fail to follow us and disappear.

Bella is bundled unceremoniously from the car and into the new safe house at top speed. Jasper stays behind he wheel, pretending to be asleep. And I know one hand will be inside his jacket about a millimetre from his gun. There's a lot to be said for ex-Para's joining the Witness Protection Office.

"Bella, you sit down there," Edward orders. She does so, collapsing into the armchair, her eyes fixed on something we can't see. Edward grabs me by the collar and hauls me into the kitchen. We see Carlisle kneel down in front of her.

"Are you going to tell Esme?" I ask him, brusquely.

"No, I am not. If they make each other happy, who am I to make them unhappy? And you aren't either, are you?"

"Nope. Like you said, they're happy, and he's a hell of a lot easier to live with when he's happy."

She hasn't moved when we come back in. The only change is that Carlisle had his forehead resting on her knees in a pose of utter despair.

"It's never going to stop," she whispers, seeming to jerk out of the trance a little. She strokes Carlisle's hair softly, and he takes her hand. She grips it tightly, I can see her hand tighten from the door. He looks up at her.

"If it's the last thing I do Bella, I'll make it stop," he vows, his voice hoarse.

"He won't stop until he has found me. He won't stop until I am dead." Carlisle groans like he is in incredible pain. He puts his forehead back on her knees. "I am afraid," she whispers, so quietly I think I must have mis-heard. "I am afraid of death."

"You're not going to die," Edward vows from behind me. "Esme will be here tomorrow. You will tell her your story, all two years of it."

"Yes. It is time for it to be told. Alice shall not have died in vain." And I see her face, set with a determination I never thought possible, and her eyes sparkle with unshed tears, as she bends forwards and places a light kiss on Carlisle's head, and wraps her arms around him. He responds, pulling her closer, and they cling to each other.

**_A/N: I managed to get Jasper in! I realised that I had no Jasper (and Jasper is probably my favourite, so I couldn't leave him out) so I slipped him in. No prizes for guessing who the tall dark man is...although I challenge you to have a go. So, I hope to get the next chapter up today! Please review!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: This is the start of a few chapters exclusively from Bella's POV. It's going to be getting dark. And graphic. Very graphic. From here on in, this story is NOT for the faint-hearted. Ye be warned… and I can't believe I just said that…_**

**_I'm not going to write BPOV at the top of every chapter. It's Bella till I says!!_**

This is hell. Absolute hell. I didn't sleep at all last night. But a vague shadow seemed to hover on the edges of my vision. Him. The voice in the back of my head, telling me to keep my mouth shut and my eyes open. To never tell.

Esme sits down opposite me again. She sets up a tape recorder.

"Interview with Isabella Swan, Sunday, June 11th. Present are Chief Inspector Esme Davies, Detective Inspector Edward Masen and Detective Inspector Carlisle Cullen. Are you ready, Bella?"

"Yes."

"We need you to tell us your story. Go back two years, to when you first met Robert Viramontes." I take one deep breath. And then I start to speak, telling them the story I've never told anyone - not even Alice.

"I was sixteen when I met Viramontes. My parents had died, leaving not only no will, but no money. What they left me with was nearly three thousand pounds in debt. The repo men took everything. I found myself on the streets, begging and stealing to make ends meet. I was moved on from every city centre from London to Manchester. I found myself here after a few months of constantly moving around. Viramontes found me after three moths on the streets. He offered me food, a bed, a place to live. I would have gone with him if all he'd offered was food. I hadn't eaten for nearly a week. I was prepared to do whatever it took to survive. He took me back to his place. He fed me, gave me new clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in. he was kind to me. I owed him my life. He let me stay for a week, building me back up. And then he made me come in to the kitchen, away from the other girls.  
"He raped me that day. I didn't understand. I cried, asked him why he was doing this, but he didn't stop. When he got through, he made me sit down next to him. I was bewildered, I was confused. I wondered why a man who had been so kind was now being so cruel and wicked. I was so naïve. So stupid. I didn't see. It should have been obvious. But it wasn't. he told me I had to work for him, in exchange for my safety. I asked him what sort of work. I was still totally oblivious. I just sat there and stared at him. And then he told me. He told me I had to go out and sleep with strangers. For money. I understood alright then. Prostitution. And he also said that if I told, if I ran, he'd kill me. He said one word from him could have me back on the streets. I sure as hell didn't want to go back. And I was also certain I didn't want to be a whore. I told him I wouldn't, that he was sick. I told him I'd call the police.  
"He beat the crap out of me that day. It was his idea of a warning. Still got the scars."

"Can you tell us what he did, Bella? Describe the attack."

"He looked at me after I'd threatened him with the cops. He stared at me for along, long time. And then he punched me in the face. That was the first time he broke my nose. Didn't knock me out though - and given what came next, I'm sorry he didn't. He broke three ribs and my little finger was almost completely shattered that time. He was kicking me - like men kick at footballs. He wouldn't stop, even though I was screaming, begging, pleading. And he cut me, when I finally agreed to his "solution" . You see, Viramontes marks all his girls - all of them, with the same mark, in the same place. He burnt Alice's off when she "betrayed" him. It's a brand. It's how the criminal underworld knew his girls, if they came across us. His mark. Like cattle." I stand up, yanking my shirt over my head, turning around, sweeping my hair aside to show them the brand. A single line through an eye.

"He carved that into your skin?" I hear Carlisle whisper in horror.

"His boys held me down and he carved himself into my skin. I was one of the lucky ones - I passed out before he'd finished the outline of the eye. I've heard some of the girls tell what is was like to have to lie there, being held down by a couple of thugs, and have it carved into you. I felt that knife go into my skin, and I felt it brand me. I woke up in his bed. He kept me as pet for a few days. And when I say pet, I mean I was treated like an animal.  
"He chained me in the cellar, naked, for five days. He didn't unchain me once. I crouched in my own dirt, like a beast - because he liked it. Because it was something that he decided he wanted to do. He whipped me, he whipped me like they used to whip slaves. Those are the other marks on my back. I can still feel each lash - that whip hitting my back, slicing away ribbons of flesh. Blood - there was a lot of blood that day. He raped me a lot. Every day, every day there was something new he wanted to try. Something he'd seen in some sick porn film or whatever. He let me go eventually. Cleaned me up, gave me clothes, sent me out onto the streets to be his whore. Of course, I was the "pretty one". And because I was so pretty, I managed to charge a little more, and I didn't get injured so much by clients. He knew he'd found a nice little earner. And he _trained_ me. He trained me to be the best. At everything. Not just sex. Foreplay. And sometimes, he'd let me go to other people's homes. Men who wanted a pretty little thing for the night, a pretty little thing to do whatever they wanted with. I don't think there is a single sex practice I haven't done."

I look at the table. Esme interrupts my musings.

"We can finish this another day…"

"Please."

"Interview suspended. Thank you, Bella."

**_A/N: Well, Bella's story is unravelling. Don't forget, we have two years to go through, two years with her suffering at Viramontes' hands. And of course, Carlisle and Bella have to get their relationship sorted. And will Viramontes come back? Please review!!!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: OK, so, today Bella will tell Esme, Carlisle and Edward about the first six months of her time with Viramontes. And, because I'm me, there will be a twist. I like twists. And no, I won't tell you what it is, you cheeky minxes. You'll just have to read on…_**

"I'd only been with him a month when we moved for the first time. He cam through the door one morning looking like God knows what. He kicked me awake, told me to get the other girls up, and to pack, we were leaving. I asked him why. He belted me. That was probably around the time I stopped asking him any questions. We left. We went to a new place. And that night, as if we'd been there all the time, we were on the streets, selling our bodies to strangers again.

"Life fell into a routine. Spend all night, every night, on the streets. Sleep till the afternoon and then go out and start again. The occasional beating to keep things fresh. And then, three months after I started working for Viramontes, I came home one morning to find a new girl. Alice. Robert just said she'd been on the streets, and he'd offered her a meal and a bed. She was thin in the extreme, obviously hadn't eaten for a while. Robert took me to his bed that day. No prizes for guessing what he did. And then he said I had to help him "train" Alice. I said no way, no way in hell. Because I had every intention of telling her to get the hell out, fast. That was the second time he broke my nose. Smashed my face into the headboard of his bed. Then beat the crap out of me for getting blood on his sheets. Viramontes isn't exactly sane. He twists things. Something he's done or said will suddenly become something you said or did. And he'll beat you for it. He raised himself - in his mind - to the level of a god. And he could do no wrong. Of course, that meant he had the right to punish you when you did something wrong. No matter what you "did", he would beat the hell out of you.

"I agreed to help him with Alice. And I got the measure of her. Alice was wild. She was independent, she was passionate, she was bloody stupid with him. She back chatted him - and to him, that was unforgivable. He beat her. Badly. Broke her ribs. Don't know how many. And she laughed in his face. I'd never seen anybody do that, not in all my time with him. And because of her fire, I knew full damn well how much she deserved to get away. So I crept down to her one day, when everyone was in bed, and I told her to turn down any offer he made her. And I told her to submit, because it would make her life so much easier. She listened - sort of. She took him up on his "offer" and seemed to submit. But she spent so much time thinking about her escape. She planned it for two years. God knows what went wrong.

"After that, nothing was ever quite the same. The number and violence of beatings increased. And the prices went up. Of course, that lost some girls business, either because they weren't good enough, or not pretty enough. And some girls disappeared."

"What do you mean, disappeared?" Edward enquires.

"Ever seen that film, Chicken Run? When the hens stop laying? They disappear? What do you think happened?"

"Where, Bella, where did he take them?"

"The moors, just outside town. I think. That's where they were always headed, anyway. You just knew if they went with him, they didn't ever come back. I don't know for certain that he killed them, he might have had a kind streak after all. But…" I don't need to finish that sentence, but I do, just to emphasize to them my situation. "Robert Viramontes was not kind, was not merciful. And he did not let what was his go."

"We'll come back tomorrow."

"There's no point. My story after the first six months does not change. Apart from the occasional difference in beating and resulting injury. I'll write my statement tonight. That will be enough for a conviction?"

"If we find bodies. And even if we don't, yes, it will. Because once he's in, I'd put money on the fact that many people will offer us more," Esme says, standing up. "And because your protection is very important, Jasper Whitlock will move in too."

"No guns," I say firmly. "I will not have guns. I've had one too many held to my head in my time."

"He'll be armed, Bella, I'm afraid that's unavoidable," Carlisle whispers to me. "But you will never have to see it."

And so Jasper moves in. one more mouth to feed, although, having said that, he doesn't eat much. Carlisle told me I have to make sure he has at least one meal a day, or he'll just snack. Emmett is still beating himself up over the followed incident, even though I've told him, again and again that it doesn't matter, that we're all safe now. Carlisle threw the newspaper at his head and told him to shut his mouth or he'd get it shut for him and Jasper just chatted to me about the army. Probably because I'm a fresh audience and Carlisle says he's been banned from even mentioning it at the station because everybody is so sick of hearing about it.

"Good morning, beautiful," a voice says, slipping long arms around my shoulders and hugging me. I jump about a foot and drop the (thankfully closed) pack of bacon on the floor.

"Oh, my God, Carlisle, are you nuts? You nearly gave me a heart attack," I complain, but snuggling into him all the same.

"Breakfast?"

"Soon. Coffee is in the pot if you want a mug. And where the hell is Jasper? He is supposed to be going out early to do the weekly shopping for me. Watch the bacon. I'm going to go find him."

I clatter up the stairs and stick my head round Jasper's door. His bed doesn't look slept in. I knock once on Emmett's and then burst in, intent upon asking him where Jasper has gone.

"OH MY GOD!"

"BELLA!" Emmett bellows at me. "What the hell?!"

"I am so sorry!" I slam the door behind me, and run for it.

"Bella? You OK?" Carlisle asks, bemused as I stagger into the kitchen and collapse into a chair.

"Is there any way to get rid of really bad memories?"

"Why?"

"I just walked in on Jasper giving Emmett head," I groan, dropping my head onto the table. "My eyes are burning. Please kill me."

Carlisle found it funny. Emmett found it humiliating. Jasper found it mildly amusing, saying I had knocked after all, and it was partially my fault that I hadn't waited for a reply. I merely found it hugely embarrassing, wondering how I could possibly ever look either of them in the eye again.

**_A/N: That is what happens when I get bored of drama. And review...tell me what you thought and so on._**


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: I have received a number of reviews from readers telling me that after my last chapter, they have unwanted mental images. You know and I know that you love it, you kinky mixes. Besides, I wasn't in the least bit graphic. You came up with the images on you own. I didn't implant them in your brains via voodoo…I swear…I would never do such a thing…*bats eyelashes innocently*_**

**_So, moving on with the story. As we all know, Emmett and Jasper are sleeping together…and Bella and Carlisle are "testing the waters" vis-à-vis their own relationship. And Bella is still dealing with the death of her best friend, her psychotic former pimp looking for her, and the fact that she's now told them where girls disappeared to._**

**_No longer BPOV. Now EmmettPOV._**

**_There is major drama and so on in this chapter._**

EmmettPOV

I go out three Saturdays after Bella told her story to Esme, Edward and Carlisle. They found nearly fifteen bodies on the moors. All Viramontes' girls that had disappeared over the years. I get bread, milk, the newspapers, and a magazine for Bella and Jasper to fight over.

We've been hiding Bella in the new house for nearly a month. It's been peaceful. Nobody knows where she is.

I go up to the door and fumble in my pocket for my key. But then I look up to put it in the lock. And the door is open. Just slightly. I push it open, shouting for Carlisle.

"Carlisle, man, why the fuck was the door open? You know to keep it shut," I shout, going into the kitchen and putting the milk in fridge. "Carlisle?" There's no answer. I put my head round the door of the sitting room. Nobody there - although the TV plays The Simpson's. A feeling of dread stirs in my heart. I run upstairs. "Carlisle!" I shout, bursting into his room. A quiet groan echoes from the wardrobe. I nearly rip the door off it's hinges. He's slumped in the bottom, gagged, hands tied. And there's blood. I take the gag away from his mouth, and he immediately starts mumbling.

"Emmett, they came," he mumbles, half-unconscious already, I can tell. "Viramontes and his thugs. They came. They took her, and they took Jasper."

"What did they do to you?"

"Shot. Here. Find her, Emmett. Find her, find them both." He closes his eyes. I drag him from the wardrobe, lying him on the floor. I rip his shirt open. There's two bullet wounds to his stomach. One in his shoulder. And his hair is soaked in blood. There's a gash on his forehead. I'm guessing they hit him to knock him out. Suddenly, one hand shoots out and grabs my shirt. "They had a key…"

I explode into Jasper's room. His gun is lying on the floor. But clearly, there was a struggle. Jazz is a neat freak, and his room looks like a bomb has hit it. I get my mobile out. I call an ambulance for Carlisle, kneeling beside him, pressing my shirt to his wounds, feeling for a pulse. It's there, but it's weak. And then I call Esme.

"Esme, they found us. They took Bella, and they took Jasper. They've shot Carlisle, Esme."

"Is he alive?" she asks, her voice calm.

"Just about. I've called the ambulance, they're on their way. Carlisle says they had a key."

"I'm on my way."

She gets here just after the ambulance. They won't let either of us talk to Carlisle, who is raving about keys and Bella.

"Is there something I should know about Isabella and Carlisle?" she asks, quietly.

"They were having a relationship. And it doesn't matter now. We need to find them both, before Viramontes deals with them himself." My voice betrays my panic.

"We'll search the house. Maybe one of them managed to leave a message."

I'm painfully aware that we're running out of time. Bella and Jasper could be dead already. But I cling to the hope that they aren't, that somehow they are still alive. Would that mean they suffer? I can't handle Jasper hurting. I don't want Jasper to hurt.

I almost miss it. A crumpled piece of paper half under the coffee table.

_FO Shuster - _

It's Bella's messy, untidy handwriting. It's a partial address.

"Esme!" She runs in, her hair escaping the ever-tidy twist at the back of her neck. "Partial address.

"There are no Shuster streets, roads, avenues, closes or anything anywhere near here."

"But there is a Shyster. Shyster Avenue, 'bout three miles away. It's Bella's writing. What if they went upstairs first, and she heard them talking, and she managed to write this before they came. They would have seen it, dismissed it as nonsense, screwed it up, thrown it."

"But what does FO stand for?"

"Any money you like, it stands for 41. F= four. O= one. We have to try, Esme. Jasper is with her, and I can't lose Jasper. And nor am I willing to lose Bella."

Two hours later, and we're en route to Shyster Avenue. I'm very jumpy. Edward rang from the hospital - Carlisle is going up to theatre. All I can think of is Jasper. Is he suffering? Please don't let him be suffering. I would do anything to be taking his place, to stop him hurting.

The house appears ordinary. There's nothing to betray it. But something tells me Jasper and Bella are in there. Esme marshals an armed response team into place. She turns to talk to me. I'm already at the house, slipping soundlessly into the cellar through an old coal chute. And all my head screams is that they are hurting.

**_A/N: Next chapter is up...please review...hope you like it..._**


	12. Chapter 12

BPOV

I yank at the bonds holding my wrists in place. Robert Viramontes levels his gun at my head.

"One good reason why I shouldn't shoot you now." His voice is ice.

"I didn't tell the cops anything, I swear."

"Come on, Isabella, don't you play games with me," he whispers, his voice smooth as silk. "Tell me what you told them."

"I didn't breath so much as a word. What you going to do, Viramontes? Beat me - for what would only be the hundredth time? Rape me - again? Kill me like you killed Alice?" His face pales with anger. I've never back-chatted him before. But I heard him shoot Carlisle, I saw them drag Jasper down the stairs and throw him into a car like a dog. And when they came for me, they put a gun to my head, told me to walk or die. And I thought that Carlisle, the man I loved, I thought that he was dead. And now, now I have nothing to lose. "Come on then, you coward. Kill me!"

He lowers the gun, throws it to the floor. I'm astounded. He waves his thug out the room. He unties me wrists, and slams me into the wall.

"You betrayed me, Isabella. You, the woman I trusted, you betrayed me. Of course, you must die for that betrayal, Isabella. But not yet. No. Not yet." He grapples with my jeans. And when I struggle, he clamps his hand around my throat. I can't breath. "I'll throttle you now, girl. I'd kill you here and now. But before you die, I'd rather remind you who you belong to. I feel his fingers trace the scar on my shoulder.

"I know who I belong to, Viramontes," I whisper, going limp. He takes it as a sign of surrender. And I let him do what he wants.

Every thrust brings tears to my eyes. He's violent with me, slamming into me, bruising my hips, hurting me beyond all reason. I scream at him at some point, begging him to stop. But he doesn't stop, he doesn't, he just keeps going and going and he won't stop. But he stops eventually, like he always does, leaving me feeling filthy and used. Like a whore.

"Who do you belong to, Isabella?" he murmurs in my ear, the way snakes would hiss, if they could talk.

"Carlisle Cullen," I say, pushing him, staring into his eyes. "The man you shot."

"He's dead, Isabella. I killed him myself. He's dead. And you will be too, after I've dealt with Blondie upstairs."

"You leave Jasper alone, he's done nothing -" He whacks me across the face. He ties me up again, to the single chair in the middle of the empty room. And he leaves, taking the thug outside the door with him.

The tears run down my face. A man with laughing eyes throwing a newspaper at somebody's head swims into my vision.

"Carlisle," I whisper into the nothingness, my voice breaking. I never told him how I felt…

The yells of pain echo down to me, sitting in the cellar. I don't know how much time has passed.

"You fucking bastard! You stay the fuck away from me!" I hear Jasper bellow at somebody. I hear the corresponding thump. I hear the curse, the next thump and then a voice that is right behind me starts up.

"Don't say a word…"

"Emmett?" I demand, craning my neck. His forehead is creased, his eyes full of fear.

"Shhhhh. I'm going to untie you, but you have to stay here, OK?"

"And where are you going to go?"

"Upstairs, rescue Jasper. Esme and the armed response unit will be here any minute. You have to stay here, and be very quiet."

"Emmett, Carlisle, he shot him, Viramontes shot him -"

"Shhh! You want Viramontes to come down here? Carlisle is in theatre - last I heard, he was expected to survive." My wrists are free. "Now, you stay here, do you understand?"

"Yes, I heard you!"

He leaves me alone. And I pick up the gun Viramontes never took with him.

**_A/N: OOO, drama drama. Next chapter is up...please review, this is nearly finished...BUT we still have to find out who betrayed them and so on._**


	13. Chapter 13

EmmettPOV

I sneak up the stairs. Jasper's curses and threats issue from the door on my right. And a gaggle of girls peer at me, terrified, from the stairs. I wave my badge at them, and gesture that they should go back upstairs. At the moment, it's the safest place for them. I peer through the crack at the side of the door. He's sitting in a chair, tied to it. He's swearing violently at a person who I can't see. Then somebody goes behind him, says something too low for me to hear and smashes his face with their fist. His head snaps back with the force of it, but when he comes upright again, his eyes are blazing. His nose is bleeding, but he still manages to swear copiously at them.

"You stupid dick, you think this'll do you any favours? Beating up a cop - not the most advisable thing to do, that." As much as I admire his defiance, maybe shutting up would be a better idea. A tall, slim guy comes into my vision. He kneels down beside Jasper, and he runs the tip of a blade gently down his cheekbone.

"I could kill you now. Your life is in my hands and you're sitting there calling me names?"

The gunshot explodes into the resulting silence. The front door bursts open and several armed officers explode into the house. I go into the kitchen - and it's to see Bella standing there somehow, the gun in her hand pointed directly at Viramontes' head. The knife she just shot from his hand is lying several feet away.

"I should kill you," she whispers into the dead silence, ignoring the armed officers with their guns trained on her. "I should shoot you now, for everything you've done. All those girls. Alice."

"Go on then," he says, his mouth uplifted in a little smirk. "Come on then, Isabella."

"Don't call me Isabella," she whispers. "My name is Bella."

"Kill me then! Pull the trigger." She keeps the gun pointing at him. Nobody moves. I don't think anybody breathes.

"Bella," I hear myself saying. "Bella, perhaps putting the gun down…"

"He shot Carlisle. He nearly killed him - he might still die. I barely know him, and I love him."

"Bella, you need to be there for Carlisle when he wakes up. You can't do that if you're banged up for murder."

"What jury would actually declare me guilty? I could plead insanity."

"Bella, put down the gun."

"I've planned it," she continues, as if I hadn't spoken. "All the years you made me stay with you, Robert. Everything you did to me. I've wished you dead so many times. Wondering how I'd do it. And now I have the perfect way. I'm holding a gun to your head. One bullet. The perfect death. You wouldn't suffer Robert. I could make it so quick. It would be over so very fast. No revenge, of course, but you'd go to hell. You'd suffer for eternity. I could be merciful Robert. I could make sure your death is quick. Not like Alice's. Do you remember Alice? The girl you kicked to death. She suffered, she suffered so much, but I could show you the mercy you never showed. I could make it very fast Robert. You wouldn't feel anything." I don't think she's aware of everybody else. I take a step forward and she swings the gun to point at me. "Don't come any closer!" she screams at me. All five armed response men release their safety catches and point them at her. "No closer."

"Bella, I won't move, OK? I'll stay here. But Bella, you need to put the gun down."

"Why should I Emmett? Why should I let him live?"

"Because you aren't like him. If you kill him, you'll be no better than him. You need to come to the hospital, you need to see Carlisle, right?"

"He's still alive?" Her confusion is obvious. "But he shot him."

"He's alive Bella. I told you remember? That he was going up to theatre?"

"Oh. Oh, yes, you did, didn't you?"

"Yeah, Bella, I did. Now, you need to give me that gun, sweetheart. I think Jasper needs medical attention, and he can't get whilst you're a threat." She looks down at the weapon in her hands. And then she looks at Jasper. A man moves up behind Viramontes. He is cuffed and led away. The armed unit keep their guns on Bella. She drops it. It makes a chilling clatter as it hit's the floor.

She sort of withdrew a little on the way to hospital. Esme was virtually crackling with fury that I'd broken the rules, gone into a house I knew to be dangerous without permission, and yet Bella seemed to exude calmness. She remained very calm - almost eerily so - on the way to the hospital, where she'd asked to go. Edward had met us at the door, and a nurse had taken Jasper off to look after him. Esme had stalked off after him, and sent me and Edward with Bella. She turns on Edward the second Esme is out of hearing. Of course - she still thinks Esme is in the dark.

"Is he alive?" Her voice cracks with strain.

"He's alive."

"Can I see him?"

"Yeah. You come with me."

"Is he awake?"

"Should be soon. The anaesthetic is just starting to wear off."

We left her to sit by him.

**_A/N: Aww, how sweet. How moooshy. And so on. PLEASE review...and I'm writing my next chapter and so on, sorry to leave you in suspense. Poor Bella is really cracking up, isn't she? Will she be OK? Will Carlisle be OK? And WHO betrayed the team?_**


	14. Chapter 14

EdwardPOV

Esme ordered me not to leave them alone. So I waited just behind the glass screen that was set into the corridor, letting them have at least limited privacy.

She stared at his face for along time. Someone, during the process of his operation and moving him about, screwed his hair up. Slowly, slowly, she reached her hand out, sweeping the locks back from his forehead. He stirs under her hand.

BPOV

"Hey," I whisper, as two unfocused blue eyes stare up at me.

"Are you an angel?"

"It's Bella."

"Hey, Bella," he smiles sleepily. And then his eyes fly open properly. "Bella! Are you OK? Did he hurt you?"

"Shhh, darling. The nurse will kick me out if I excite you."

"Bella, you didn't answer my question."

"I'll be fine. I will. Honestly. And how are you feeling?"

"Stoned. I think they gave me too many pain meds." I feel my face crumples. "Hey, honey, don't cry. I'll be OK. Don't cry Bella, everything will be OK."

"I thought you were dead! I heard the shots, and they told me you were dead!"

"They lied. They needed you to go quietly - perhaps they thought they had more chance if they told you I was dead."

I put my head on the pillow next to him, and he held my hand. Neither of us moved when Esme came in. I didn't care any more, and neither did he, judging by the way he only held my hand tighter.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been shot."

"Bella, could give us a minute, please?" I made to get up, but Carlisle shook his head.

"Whatever you have to say Esme, you can say it in front of Bella."

"You two are having a relationship. And you know, or you should, Carlisle, you know that you could lose your job for this."

"For falling in love?"

"For having a relationship with the - woman you are supposed to be protecting."

"You can say it Chief Inspector," I break in, suddenly, watching her closely. "You can say the word whore."

CPOV

Her eyes are glittering oddly as she gazes at my boss. I've never seen her so proud. Her chin is well up, and she does not drop her gaze.

"You seem uncomfortable, suddenly, Chief Inspector." And sure enough, Esme is suddenly unable to meet the clear gaze of the young woman facing her. Bella is on her feet, staring at her with slightly wild eyes. "Is there something wrong, Chief Inspector - or should I call you Janet Monte? Whichever you prefer."

"Bella, what exactly are you talking about? That is Esme Davies - the Chief Inspector -"

"Actually, Carlisle, no, it isn't. Janet here was Robert Viramontes' girlfriend, back when he first picked me off the streets. I didn't recognize her, not at first - you must have gone to a lot of expense, Janet, you have changed a lot."

"Then how did you work it out?"

"The second interview - Janet is the only person I've ever met who stresses her r's to make them sound extended and rolling. She did a very good job of hiding it, yes - but sadly, not quite good enough. I noticed it when you told us about Jasper. You said his name "Jaspar". Then I started picking up on things about you. Janet had a twitch - only very mild - in her left hand. Watch her fingers, Carlisle. Watch what she does." And sure enough Esme - or Janet's, whatever - clenches her fingers suddenly. "Car accident, wasn't it Janet? Tendon injury?"

"They tore. Ended up with a nervous twitch. Nothing I could do after that. And it's always given me away." The woman withdraws a gun from her bag. "I wondered how long it would take you to work it out Bella."

"You never stopped loving him, did you?"

"Oh, no. never. Robert was everything. I would have given him my life - and he knew that. It took me a year to infiltrate the system, waiting for one of his girls to be picked up. I knew if I could give him a traitor, a betrayer, give unto him that which was lost, as he said to me once - he'd take me back." She releases the safety. "And he will, Bella. Just as soon as I set him free."

"Jesus, Janet, I always knew you weren't quite all there, but this, this is completely mental. He won't take you back. The only person Robert loves is himself. He doesn't trust anybody. He'll shoot you, as soon as he's safe, just so you can't betray him. He's paranoid. He'd never trust you, even if he did let you stay. He doesn't trust anybody. Christ, he didn't even trust himself." She meets Esme's eyes with a chilling stare. But her next words are addressed to me. "Carlisle, what is the sentence for what she's done?"

"Ten years, maybe."

"Ten years, Janet, if you put that gun down now. Possibly not even in a prison, if you can convince the jury you are insane. Which, actually, shouldn't really be all that hard. You know you won't kill me. Give me the gun."

For one horrible second, I thought she was going to shoot Bella right there in front of me. She even took one step closer, aiming right in the middle of her forehead. And then she started shaking. The gun clattered to the floor. Bella kicked it away. Bella asked me to push the call button for the nurse, and ended up crouched on the floor, talking gently to a trembling Esme. A nurse came in, accompanied by Emmett, Edward, and a stitched up Jasper. I don't miss that Emmett and Jasper are holding hands.

**_A/N: Well, the final chapter is up too, so I won't say much. Hope you enjoyed!_**


	15. Chapter 15

CPOV

Bella read the paper to the fpur of us a week later, after they discharged me, with strict orders to rest.

"And Viramontes will appear before the Courts, charged with pimping, sixteen counts of murder, multiple counts of GBH, assault, ABH, and sex with a minor." She folds it up and throws it onto the kitchen table. "Well, that's that. No jury in their right mind will be giving out a not guilty verdict on that lot."

"It's your evidence that will send him down. The case owes you a conviction." Emmett says, giving her a one armed hug.

"Does that mean you'll cook tonight? Actually, no, I value my life - Carlisle can cook."

"I'm a wounded man."

"Jasper? What's your excuse?"

"Er - I'm allergic to saucepans?"

"Edward?"

"I can't cook."

"Useless. Utterly, utterly useless. Apart from Carlisle, do any of you eat properly when you aren't here for Sunday dinner?" Glances are exchanged and feet are shuffled. Bella shakes her head as she goes into the kitchen.

She isn't OK, I can see that in her eyes. Every now and again, when details of Viramontes' crimes are plastered all over the press, you can see the flash of pain in her eyes. But she's too good at hiding it. I bid the guys goodbye at the door. It's time.

"You aren't dealing with this, are you?"

"I am dealing with it - I just struggle to accept that he'll never come after me again. That he'll never hurt me, or anybody else again. I don't know how to be free."

"can I help you?"

"You can set me free," she whispers. "You can help me fly."

I lay her on the bed tenderly, kissing her closed eyes, her forehead, cheeks, lips. She opens up to me with a sigh, lets me in, allows her tongue to dance gently with mine. She feathers her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer, an edge of urgency stealing into her kiss. I slide one hand down to her hip, and she hitches her leg up, wrapping it around my waist. I dance my fingertips over thigh, hip, ribs. She sighs.

"Help me fly." And I do, sitting up, unbuttoning her blouse, pulling her upright, sliding it down her arms, throwing it to the floor. Her hands go to my shirt, grasping it by the hem, lifting it over my head. She kisses the healing bullet wounds, just lightly, runs her hands down my sides. I push her gently, and she lies back, watching me. I don't take my eyes off her as I slide her jeans down her legs. She helps me remove mine. And then we lay there, just kissing, and holding each other, revelling in the fact that we have each other, that we're alive, free - and flying together. She reaches behind her, and she unclasps her bra. I can't help but notice my hands are trembling as she removes it.

"Are you sure?" I whisper. She nods.

"I'm sure." I take her panties off for her, and remove my boxers. She traces the outline of my shoulders as I prop myself above her, looking down. "Please." It's all she says, but she's saying a lot more. I slide inside her, and she digs her nails in slightly. I know she isn't a virgin, but suddenly I realise that she's giving me her willing virginity. Her eyes glisten as she nods, and I start to move. It's never felt so good, just her wet heat, and she lets one single tear slide down her cheek as I thrust gently into her. I could drown in the chocolate eyes that gaze at me, until she closes her eyes and throws her head back. She screams softly, and I don't need anything more to fall over the edge.

We fall. No, but we don't fall. We fly. And I clasp her close, and I feel her trembling. I love her. And I know we will fly together until the sun sets forever.

"I love you," she murmurs, kissing me softly.

"I love you too. Forever."

"Forever."

A/N: A nice mooshy ending lol. I like mooshy endings. By the way, i'm starting work on Maid and Master: Chapter Two, so keep a look out!


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